Barrow's Boy - A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

By Blood

    Teddy, Percy, and Everett sat facing each other on the classroom floor, working on their cards for the injured soldiers. Mr. Dawes had caved to Abigail's idea, thanks to Everett's father, the Lord Holclair. It was a great help to have a friend of nobility, Theodore knew that, but he would still be Everett's friend if he wasn't. 

     Theodore placed his finished card on top of the stack he had placed next to himself, trying not to glance over at the group of giggling girls in the corner. With them was Abigail, sitting next to Katherine Price and seemingly enjoying herself. He shouldn't be surprised, not after what she had told him about a month ago, but it still hurt that he had to watch her befriend other people, away from the tight group they had formed. Percy pulled Teddy from his thoughts.

     "I've officially moved in with my father now. He owns one of the farms now, although I'm not sure how he got it." Teddy nodded, looking away from the girls and at the blank paper in front of him, waiting to be used. He folded it in half as Everett answered. 

     "I envy you two, sometimes." He said, shaking his head as he shaded in something with his pencil. "You two get to live in the working world, always busy, and here's me sitting at another dinner." Teddy looked up at him.

     "I don't think you're allowed to complain, Mr. Privilege." 

     "I am privileged! That's the problem!" Everett said, throwing his hand up in the air, pencil still between his fingers. "I want to know what it's like to work."

     "Come by the farm sometime, we gotta start planting soon." Percy offered, appearing to be unfazed by Everett's words. Teddy supposed that Percy was just used to Everett's complaining, but he didn't understand why he wasn't going to call Everett out on this. After all, Everett had it much better than he did.

     "Maybe I will," Everett said, nodding slowly as if he were considering it, even though Teddy knew that was Everett saying yes. "It would do me some good to get some dirt on my hands."

     "Touching dirt for the first time is a very special experience," Teddy replied with the slightest smirk on his face, staring at his card. Percy let out what was almost a laugh, and Everett just rolled his eyes, although Teddy knew there was a small smile on his face as well.

     Mr. Bates was gone and had since been replaced by Mr. Lang, who Teddy was unsure of. He seemed nice enough, but Teddy had noticed that Miss. O'Brien was a bit fond of him, which immediately made him like the man less. But, Teddy supposed that he would just have to accept Mr. Lang as part of the Downton staff and continue with his life. The other new staff member, who he had similar feelings about, was the housemaid Ethel. She was very opinionated, at least, that's what he thought, and he didn't like that she didn't take her job seriously. However, Teddy did like that she had many dreams and, although some were not very realistic, he thought it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one with a wandering mind.

     Currently, he sat with Anna, once again reading, as he often did. 

     "How is school going?" She asked him after a few moments of silence, glancing at him from what she was sewing. Teddy shrugged, looking up at her from his book. 

     "It's alright. I'm enjoying it, of course, but I feel like we're just doing the same things again and again. I'd like to move on from multiplication and division and learn something a bit more difficult." Anna smiled at him.

     "You're probably the only one in your class who thinks that." Teddy thought for a moment, wondering if Anna was right.

     "Perhaps, but you never know." He said, unable to come up with a better response. He looked back at the pages of his book, not expecting Anna to say anything in return. And she didn't, just continuing her sewing until Thomas came down the stairs. 

     "Ted, can you come up and-" Teddy was already standing by this point, book closed as he walked around the table. "The cards came in and we need some help distributing them." Anna looked up at them.

     "I can help too if you'd like." Thomas just gave her a wave of his hand.

     "If you want." He said, then led Teddy up the stairs and through the halls towards the front door, where multiple packages carrying the cards were waiting for them. Teddy took one and, as his father requested, went to deliver them to patients in the library.   He was well aware that the library would contain patients with less severe injuries, and was sure that his father had purposefully sent him there, but he wasn't complaining. Cards in hand, Teddy went into the room, immediately met by the loudness of the soldiers entertaining themselves. He quickly got to work, making sure all of them received one. 

     One of Theodore's last recipients was a man sitting in the corner with a bloody bandage on his head, eyes focused on the book in front of him. Teddy quietly handed him a card, not wanting to interrupt, and moved on, giving away the last few cards in his hand. When he turned around again, the man was no longer looking at the book, but at him, with a thoughtful expression. Teddy stared back for a moment, then turned and began to walk away. He hadn't seen the man before, and he figured the man was just curious as to why there was a child here. He was still walking away when he heard a voice.

      "Wait, boy." Teddy stopped and turned, still unsure as to what this man wanted. "It's Theodore, right?" Teddy hesitated for a moment then nodded, slowly walking towards the man. 

      "Is there something I can do for you, Captain?" Teddy said, having glanced quickly at his uniform to see what his ranking was. 

     "My name is Captain Warren Johnson." Teddy stared. "Does that name sound familiar to you?"

     "No, sir. Sorry." Johnson frowned a bit, reaching up and brushing a strand of blond hair to the side.

     "Not at all? Your mother never told you?" Theodore continued to stare, a bit frustrated that this man had dared to mention his mother.

     "Not that I remember."

     "Where is your mother?"

     "Dead," Theodore answered shortly and didn't give the man time to reply. "But I can go get my father if you'd like." The man quickly shook his head.

     "I don't need your godfather, Theodore." Teddy had so many questions. Did this man really know his mother? How did he know that Thomas wasn't his real father? Why was Johnson even talking to him?

     "What do you need, then?"

     "I need you to know the truth."

     "The truth about what?"

     "Your family." Theodore froze, his jaw clenched. Johnson seemed to know exactly how to bother him.  

     "Theodore, I am your real father."